Friday, November 18, 2016

Book Review: Hannah (The Ugly Teapot, #1)

I received a copy of this for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

The Ugly Teapot is about Hannah, a young girl who has just lost her photographer father. She discovers that the magic lamp he gave her is, in actuality, a real magic lamp, and so she uses her wishes to bring her father back to life, which begins an adventure that takes her all the way to the middle-east in order to stop an evil magician from gaining his powers again.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The concept sounded really good, but the first chapters through me off. Not in a bad way, they just weren't what I was expecting. It wasn't hard for me to get back on board the narrative, though, and soon I was thoroughly enjoying the adventure within.

This is a fast paced book, which is something I really needed right now. I think I read it in two or three sittings, actually. The pace lends itself to the story, allowing the reader to feel the peril as Hannah does. Even though things are speeding past, this doesn't prevent from good character development and description.

Another pleasant surprise was Hannah's mother, V. I really, really, really disliked V at first (and I think we're supposed to) but as the novel plays out we slowly get to see more of her and suddenly I was her biggest fan. When we get to see things from her perspective the story starts to change and things get a little darker and more mature, all in good ways. The two story's, V and Hannah, parallel each other quite a bit, and they're both stories of women looking to "save the world" in a way. For V her family is her world and for Hannah, well, she's quite actually working to save the world. Hannah, too, was a great character, and a great protagonist. I enjoyed being in her head and going on an adventure with her. Even if at some points it was dangerous and terrifying, it was also a bunch of fun.

On the ending (no spoilers here, just thoughts): I really liked it. By the end of the book things have changed quite a bit since the beginning. More mature themes and a darker tone do prevail for a point, but they pull the story together in this "wow I can't believe it went there but I'm so glad it did" way. Beyond Hannah's own story, a grander world is built for this teapot, and it's a world full of stories I very much want to read.

TL;DR?

Don't let the first few chapters fool you, this is a wonderful book that tackles important issues in an appropriate way while also bringing the reader on a fun adventure.